DIY AC Compressor

pruettfan · 01-07-2014, 01:13 AM

OK, I failed at being a good citizen and did not take photos and document my AC compressor DIY so I thought I would do my best to share my experience and help save you some money in the process. Like all DIY do this at your own risk I am sharing my experience but I am not a pro.

At about 170,000 miles I had an AC compressor clutch failure. The clutch is build into the compressor so if you have this failure you have to replace the entire unit. At first the repair seemed a bit out of my realm as I have no AC experience. I got quotes for around 2 grand from 3 shops not including the tow costs (when the clutch fails your car is inoperable). I did some research and found the Denso compressor unit for about $335 shipped. That got me thinking. I took a close look at the location and it is fairly accessible so i looked further. The biggest challenge is evacuating the AC system in a legal and responsible way. I found a mobile mechanic who did this for me for $105. I ordered the AC compressor and since I had 170k on my car and was tearing things apart decided to do the water pump, thermostat, idler pulley and flush and replace the coolant. Removing the water pump and thermostat makes the AC compressor very easy to get to. You also need to drop the sway bar and move the power steering line. You also have to remove the fan, coolant tank and of course the panels that cover the underside of the car.

Once I removed all of this I removed the AC compressor (3 bolts, 2 lines and one electrical connection and it was out. You will need to maneuver it a bit to get it to drop out, just take your time and it will work out. One decision that was tough was if I should replace the Drier. That is a filter element that sits in the AC element on the drivers side. Experts will tell you that when you replace the compressor it should be replaced. Unfortunately I could find no information on the location, that was aggravated by the fact I was sent the wrong part by Parts Geek which sent me on a wild goose chase for a component that looked nothing like what it actually did. Anyway I ran out of time and got frustrated so I did not change mine and it has been fine.

Installing the new compressor is of course reverse of the process to remove. The three bolts, ac lines and electrical connections. Out of an abundance of caution I did connect the lines first in an effort to reduce the chance of any moisture (humidity) from collecting in the system. This is not much concern in AZ but may be in your area. Once I buttoned the car together I took it to a shop (do not run the AC compressor without freon) to get it charged. I highly suggest you replace your unit with the Denso unit, they are the OEM and send the unit filled with oil and it is an exact fit. There are cheaper and more expensive units out there. They range from 200 bucks to 500.

I ended up spending about 550 all together for the AC portion of the work I did. As I mentioned above I also did several other things because of the mileage on the car and ended up doing all of the work for less than a shop wanted for just the AC compressor change. All together I estimate the actual repair time to be a solid 8 hours. I tore the car apart in a couple of hours, waited a few days for parts and then put it back together in about 2 more hours. I wish I would have taken the time to take photos to make the post better but I have to say the component is pretty visible so they may not have been of much practical use. I didn't use any special tools but did use 4 jack stands to get the entire car up as high as I could to assist with access. You can get away with just lifting the front though.

This is a doable job for sure if you have decent mechanical skills. Hopefully none of you will need this DIY but at least there is something on the site now to help anyone that faces the problem I did a few months ago. Feel free to ask any questions and I will do my best to help out.

Tom

Efthreeoh · 01-07-2014, 11:40 AM

The drier is located in the left side of the condensor (in front of the cooling system radiator) and is a replacable part. The front bumper needs to be removed to access it.

pruettfan · 01-07-2014, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

The drier is located in the left side of the condensor (in front of the cooling system radiator) and is a replacable part. The front bumper needs to be removed to access it.

Thanks, I did eventually find it but by then I had charged the system and decided to see if it would be OK without changing it. It has worked for a few months in the desert so I am probably ok. Getting the right replacement part was key to figuring out where it was.

ffuen01@gmail.com · 07-27-2019, 08:06 PM

Does anyone knows what type of a/c compressor oil does a 2008 BMW X5 4.8i e70 uses? And how much of it? I greatly appreciate your help.

01-07-2014, 01:13 AM	#1
pruettfan Brigadier General 1622 Rep 3,402 Posts Drives: 2017 M2, LBB, DCT, Exec Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Chandler, AZ iTrader: (0)	DIY AC Compressor OK, I failed at being a good citizen and did not take photos and document my AC compressor DIY so I thought I would do my best to share my experience and help save you some money in the process. Like all DIY do this at your own risk I am sharing my experience but I am not a pro. At about 170,000 miles I had an AC compressor clutch failure. The clutch is build into the compressor so if you have this failure you have to replace the entire unit. At first the repair seemed a bit out of my realm as I have no AC experience. I got quotes for around 2 grand from 3 shops not including the tow costs (when the clutch fails your car is inoperable). I did some research and found the Denso compressor unit for about $335 shipped. That got me thinking. I took a close look at the location and it is fairly accessible so i looked further. The biggest challenge is evacuating the AC system in a legal and responsible way. I found a mobile mechanic who did this for me for $105. I ordered the AC compressor and since I had 170k on my car and was tearing things apart decided to do the water pump, thermostat, idler pulley and flush and replace the coolant. Removing the water pump and thermostat makes the AC compressor very easy to get to. You also need to drop the sway bar and move the power steering line. You also have to remove the fan, coolant tank and of course the panels that cover the underside of the car. Once I removed all of this I removed the AC compressor (3 bolts, 2 lines and one electrical connection and it was out. You will need to maneuver it a bit to get it to drop out, just take your time and it will work out. One decision that was tough was if I should replace the Drier. That is a filter element that sits in the AC element on the drivers side. Experts will tell you that when you replace the compressor it should be replaced. Unfortunately I could find no information on the location, that was aggravated by the fact I was sent the wrong part by Parts Geek which sent me on a wild goose chase for a component that looked nothing like what it actually did. Anyway I ran out of time and got frustrated so I did not change mine and it has been fine. Installing the new compressor is of course reverse of the process to remove. The three bolts, ac lines and electrical connections. Out of an abundance of caution I did connect the lines first in an effort to reduce the chance of any moisture (humidity) from collecting in the system. This is not much concern in AZ but may be in your area. Once I buttoned the car together I took it to a shop (do not run the AC compressor without freon) to get it charged. I highly suggest you replace your unit with the Denso unit, they are the OEM and send the unit filled with oil and it is an exact fit. There are cheaper and more expensive units out there. They range from 200 bucks to 500. I ended up spending about 550 all together for the AC portion of the work I did. As I mentioned above I also did several other things because of the mileage on the car and ended up doing all of the work for less than a shop wanted for just the AC compressor change. All together I estimate the actual repair time to be a solid 8 hours. I tore the car apart in a couple of hours, waited a few days for parts and then put it back together in about 2 more hours. I wish I would have taken the time to take photos to make the post better but I have to say the component is pretty visible so they may not have been of much practical use. I didn't use any special tools but did use 4 jack stands to get the entire car up as high as I could to assist with access. You can get away with just lifting the front though. This is a doable job for sure if you have decent mechanical skills. Hopefully none of you will need this DIY but at least there is something on the site now to help anyone that faces the problem I did a few months ago. Feel free to ask any questions and I will do my best to help out. Tom
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01-07-2014, 11:40 AM	#2
Efthreeoh General 17309 Rep 18,733 Posts Drives: The E90 + Z4 Coupe & Z3 R'ster Join Date: May 2012 Location: Virginia iTrader: (0)	The drier is located in the left side of the condensor (in front of the cooling system radiator) and is a replacable part. The front bumper needs to be removed to access it.
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07-27-2019, 08:06 PM	#4
ffuen01@gmail.com Registered 0 Rep 4 Posts Drives: BMW 3 series Join Date: Jun 2019 Location: United States iTrader: (0)	Does anyone knows what type of a/c compressor oil does a 2008 BMW X5 4.8i e70 uses? And how much of it? I greatly appreciate your help.
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